Most players playing games deeply resent stealth sections. A single mistake can lead to exposure and a lot of frustration, forcing them to go on a killing spree, even if it leaves them feeling strongly defeated.
There are very few games that do stealth well. Most include stealth sections to artificially extend the plot and playtime.
That being said, the four of them moved very cautiously, until they heard soft voices and muffled sobs ahead.
"There's a sentry there."
"Red name, only a few dozen hit points. Looks like they're the target the Lord wants us to investigate."
"Go back, or..." Tortoise Shell Shield asked.
The words didn't need to be finished. The question was whether to go back and turn in the quest, or charge in and kill everyone.
They were more inclined to act directly, but they were afraid of getting the quest stuck if they took action prematurely.
"We've come this far..."
As the four slowly approached, they saw more and understood the approximate strength of the hostile forces here.
More than ten men.
Their equipment looked very ordinary - cloth armor, worn-out armor, rusty swords, and so on.
The four of them probably weren't a match for them, given the sheer difference in numbers.
But looking at the children and women in the cages, the four players felt an inexplicable fire rising in their hearts.
Seeing it with their own eyes was different from seeing it on a computer screen. Those scantily clad, pitiful women and children were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered in a slaughterhouse.
Then, a bald man opened a cage, violently dragged a woman out, and pinned her to the ground with ill intentions.
"Damn! Can't stand it!" Dragon Scale Sword said in a low voice. The game was so realistic that it even simulated the veins popping on his forehead in anger.
"More than ten of them... even if we win against the odds, there will definitely be sacrifices!" Tortoise Shell Shield gritted his teeth.
He was also angry, but after the anger, he still needed to consider the pros and cons. If they rushed in, they would probably be swarmed and killed.
The four of them not only lacked ranged weapons but even complete sets of armor. Look at Tortoise Shell Shield, for example, wearing only the upper part of his plate armor, with bare feet and white briefs on the bottom.
If they went back now to get reinforcements, bringing the Lord and his well-equipped soldiers, they could definitely crush these wild monsters.
But there wasn't enough time! That bald guy already had his pants down!
There are few rational types among players. No matter what their real lives are like, when they enter a game, most will force themselves to adopt the persona of a "knight-errant," aside from some exceptions.
Rushing in without hesitation, righting wrongs along the way, dusting off their clothes after the deed, leaving only legends behind.
If playing the game isn't fun, then what's the point?
"What do you guys think... can we lure these monsters out by throwing things, and then assassinate them one by one?"
Zelda, Assassin's Creed, Hitman 47... there are too many. Almost all games have this setting: throwing things to distract the monsters, then assassinating them one by one, ultimately achieving perfect stealth, leaving only a ground full of corpses!
This is the most basic logic of games.
We players... we understand stealth the best!
The plan was unanimously approved.
White Stockings Enthusiast picked up a rock, walked a few steps forward, aimed at a lookout, and flicked his wrist.
The rock arced through the air and landed in the bushes not far from him.
It didn't make too much noise, just enough to attract one person's attention.
"Huh?" The man tilted his head in confusion, then, to the four players' dismay, pointed towards the direction the rock came from – precisely where White Stockings Enthusiast was hiding – and shouted, "Come quick! Someone's over here!"
White Stockings Enthusiast popped his head out of the bushes like a startled rabbit. "Crap!"
Why weren't these mobs playing by the rules!
What do you do when your stealth is discovered?
Kill everyone who saw you, and then it's still a successful stealth mission!
That's why players understand stealth the best!
White Stockings Enthusiast grabbed his one-handed sword and charged out. As a pro who had recently dealt with three jackals on his own, he naturally had no worries about his micro-management skills.
He rushed forward and slashed at the man, but the man's reaction speed wasn't slow either. He raised his sword from below to parry the blow.
Having struggled in this apocalyptic world, the instinct to counterattack was deeply ingrained in him.
The swords clashed. White Stockings Enthusiast, who had leveled up long ago and whose physique was clearly superior to the gaunt wanderer, won with a single strike, staggering his opponent.
The force of the rebound also made him slightly stiffen.
But seeing the wanderer reeling backward, White Stockings Enthusiast was overjoyed.
Did his last strike cause a stagger!
"I've mastered parrying!" he shouted happily.
He quickly followed up with another strike. It was the first time he had "truly" stabbed someone, but White Stockings Enthusiast didn't feel any discomfort at all. Instead, he felt an incredible sense of satisfaction.
It has to be said, this game... is amazing!
It was just a shame that the wanderer immediately broke out of the "stagger" state after taking the hit and rolled away to dodge.
White Stockings Enthusiast was stunned, his eyes widening.
This wasn't an ordinary mob? The mob could actually show off some skill!
"Charge!"
The other three also gave up on hiding.
The hell with it, can't four players take down a small mob camp?
Come get some!
Pain sensitivity turned down, gore turned off, decapitation turns into exploding cabbages.
I am invincible in this world!
"I'm going to strip that guy's clothes off!" (A playful, taunting battle cry)
"Gaia!" (Another battle cry, likely referencing a power or ability)
"Ouch! Your grandma!" (A humorous, slightly vulgar exclamation of surprise/pain)
Strange cries rang out.
On one side of the "mob camp," both the red-named hostile mobs who were about to assemble and the women and children locked in cages stared in stunned silence as the four strangely dressed players charged over, shouting and yelling.
It looked like chaos, but the four, as players who feared no death, naturally possessed a sense of cooperation.
The most feared thing in battle is the lack of teamwork. But cooperation between people inevitably involves "fear of death," which is instinctive.
If someone can avoid getting hurt, they will consciously dodge, even if it might disrupt the formation.
But the four-person team was completely different. Fear of death? They didn't care at all.
Pain? Sorry, my pain receptors are turned off.
If you're squeamish, the blood gushing out of the wounds can be petroleum.
So all that was left was offense.
Dragon Scale Sword even used the "Third Middle School Alley Fighting Technique" in the fight, delivering a straight kick that toppled the "mob" in front of him.
Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow...
"Damn it, there's a shooter!" Tortoise Shell Shield spotted a figure in the distance with a scarf wrapped around their head, aiming surreptitiously with a crossbow. He proactively stepped forward, using his back to shield his teammates from the arrow.
A tank has to have the awareness to absorb damage.
On the other hand, the people of the wanderer camp were shocked by Tortoise Shell Shield's selfless act.
They were just a group of wanderers temporarily united by self-interest. Desire dictated their actions, but that didn't mean they didn't admire loyalty and righteousness. People might outwardly mock those who sacrifice themselves, but they would choose to befriend such people, because they would never be betrayed.
The four warriors who had appeared from nowhere, showing a willingness to die, made the wanderers take them seriously.
The wanderers' encirclement slowly formed, surrounding them from all sides, front and back. No matter where these four strange people came from, they had no chance of escape.